Review of In the Company of Men (1995) by Francis M — 03 Jul 2010

What does "disturbing" means? In an automatic definition by one's mind, it pertains to thematic elements that leads to violence or sex, and sometimes, the two combined. Many filmmakers had experimented with it, but the conclusion of it all, whether he/she is an auteur or not, is that nobody has done justice to the word without ultimately submitting on using some of the elements mentioned above.

Enter Neil Labute's "In the Company of Men", a film tightly written with dialogues(mostly conversational ones) that can be alienating to most people, but would certainly pass as mundane in the darker corners of the corporate world.

But still, I have to say, it's one of the most emotionally unsettling films I have seen. It involves two yuppies in their ultimate plan for revenge on the opposite sex, an extreme contempt brought about by past relationships.

But through the duration of the film, we laugh with them, but then a one word question arises, "Why?" Then suddenly we question their actions, and another "Why?" The next thing we know, it's the end of the film.

Aaron Eckhart is unforgettable as Chad, maybe the most appalling of film characters, and with the most narcissistic("Because I could") of motives. He may not be in the extremes of Easton Ellis' Patrick Bateman, but with a misogynistic act that is just as unnerving.

"In the Company of Men" was a film tailor-made for people to watch and ponder on, to re-evaluate one's thinking, and also a bitter commentary to the emotional vanity of most men.